Replacing an existing water or wastewater supply

Find out what to do if you need to replace your private water supply pipe, sewer pipe or replacing an existing sewer connection.  

Replacing private water supply pipes

If you're planning to replace your private water supply pipe, it's important to understand who’s responsible for what.

Generally, you're responsible for any pipework located on your property.

The example below shows which pipes you're responsible for and which ones we're responsible for.

It shows:

  • The water main, running through the centre of the road.
  • The communication pipes splitting off the main and leading to the property boundaries.
  • The supply pipes, connecting homes to the communication pipes.

 

In most cases, you’ll need to install a new 25mm pipe from your home to the boundary of your property (depending on your water usage, a larger pipe may be required). To ensure the work is done safely and correctly, we recommend using an approved contractor.

Once your new private water supply pipe is in place, you can usually connect to the same main and connection point as before. This helps keep the process simple and avoids disruption. If you need to make a connection to a different point, you'll need to apply for a new connection.

Replacing sewer pipes

If you’re looking to replace or change sewer pipes, the first thing you need to do is find out if the sewer pipe is private or public. This will tell you who is responsible for their maintenance, and what you need to do if you’re planning on replacing or changing them.

You can request a copy of our sewer records from DigDat* or by appointment at our office in Coventry. This can help give you a rough idea of sewer pipes on your land and who’s responsible for them

Since October 2011, many private sewers were transferred to local water companies, meaning we now maintain most shared drains and sewers across our region. However, not all transferred pipes appear on maps.

Water UK offers helpful guidance on which pipes became public and which remain private.

 

The diagrams below show what changed as part of the transfer:

Before

After

Understanding private and public sewer responsibility

You don’t need to let us know if you’re simply replacing or upgrading your private pipework - but we do recommend using a qualified contractor who’s experienced with laying new sewers and making connections to a public sewer.

However, you do need to tell us if:

Find out more about laying sewer pipes the right way and what you need to do to get connected to our sewer network in our Wastewater Connection Pack.

 

If you’re planning to build near or over one of our pipes, you need to let us know first.

Depending on your project and the size of the sewer, we may need to move the public sewer before building work can begin.

Contact our Developer Services team

Did you know our calls are answered on average within 29 seconds? For any questions, call us and we’ll be happy to help.